Black Experiences in Athens County, 1840-1885

Through the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras, free Black Americans lived in a society that did not recognize them as equals. Despite being a free state, Ohio placed legal and social restrictions on Black residents that limited their opportunities for citizenship, education, jobs, military service, and political participation. 

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These limitations certainly shaped Black experiences within Ohio communities, but they did not define them. Despite these and other challenges, Black Ohioans worked within and pushed beyond boundaries that others imposed. When there were limits to education, they opened their own schools or moved to areas where they could pursue education. When they were seeking freedom from the men who enslaved them, they turned to their abolitionist allies and their own free communities. When they were free, they created new communities that offered forms of civic engagement and comfort. They started businesses and became active in political movements. When they were able, they enlisted as Union soldiers and showed great valor on the battlefield. In a time when the law, the government, and their white peers afforded them little, Black Ohioans found agency to move in and shape their communities.

   This website focuses on Black residents in Athens county during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, here encompassing the years 1840-1885. It will examine various aspects of Black experience in the county. It will examine Black settlements around the county, the education available to them, their role in the workforce, and their participation in local and national politics. Additionally, it will look at changes shaped by the Civil War and Reconstruction, from Underground Railroad experiences and Civil War enlistment to various forms of discrimination they faced within the community.